Also in June some special friends came to visit! We really enjoyed the week with the Epemas, It seemed as though they hadn't been gone for a year. All of us enjoyed the precious time we got to spend together, the kids seemed to pick up right where they left off, which made me smile!! XOXO
In July, we celebrated Aviela and Addys birthdays. Aviela was 7, June 20, and Addy turned 2, July 5. We had a simple party at our house with a special cake and a few friends.
Our family vacation this year was spending a couple nights at the Double JJ Ranch. The kids loved the waterpark, and the horses. Beatriz was able to go on 3 horse back rides, the kids on pony rides, visited their petting farm, and spent time together. We enjoyed being together as a family. The rest of July, we visited with friends, and did random things around Grand Rapids. We kept very busy. August snuck up on us really fast. Beatriz flew home August 7. It was a sad day, especially for the kids! I practically had to pull Addy out of her arms, she was convinced she was going to sit on Beatriz's lap on the plane. :( We had a short 10 days together before Johnny came back from China, August 17. The kids were of course overjoyed to see him, and really haven't stopped touching him since. He showered all of us with many authentic gifts from China, we feel loved by him and his family. It really feels really nice to have Johnny home for his 2nd and last year. :( Its almost bittersweet for me because I know this is only the beginning of the end, he will spend the next 10 months with us, and then fly home for the summer, and come back to the US in August for college. He will most likely not go to college near Grand Rapids. Im just trying to savor every minute of this time because it will be over in a blink of an eye. Its really exciting living through his senior year with him- pictures, prom, colleges, etc. Its probably not our responsibility as host parents to get his pictures taken, and visit colleges, but Im really looking forward to enjoying this year with him and making it special.
The kids waiting for John to get off the plane. So excited!!
John Enjoying having sisters!! At the mall
Also in August Dan started coaching Ashers flag football team. They are the Denver Broncos!! It can sometimes be challenging for Dan, but overall he enjoys it. Its super adorable watching them run around the field. Asher REALLY enjoys it!
Asher in Action!!
I worked quite a bit a couple weeks ago at work. It was very stressful, and although the check was nice, Im reminded how grateful I am to be able to spend most of my time enjoying the precious time I have with the kids. Its definitely not always easy, and sometimes not fun, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!
Today is back to school for Avi. She is a first grader in Spanish Immersion with Senora Dalman. Having our children in the public school was hard for me last year, to let go, and let them out of the bubble I wish they could live in forever. :) It even felt weird for Avi, I remember her asking one night, "so we won't PRAY at school?" AFter I swallowed the lump in my throat I said, "no." Avi's teacher last year was a missionary kid for part of her childhood, and her teacher this year was a missionary for part of her adult life. Even though its a public school, I know her teacher shares similar values- which is comforting for me. Avi is doing very well, and has transitioned well. Last year, Avi was in class with one of her best friends, Kaylee. This year they are in different classes. It will be good for her, but my prayer is that she feels comfortable socially without Kaylee, and begins to develop more close friendships.
Avi and Kaylee
By her locker
So we have had a busy summer! Dan and I had sometime to reflect on the adoption, and really felt like we needed an update. We asked the agency for an update and they told us they usually only give updates every 90 days but they would try for one. We wanted to know his oxygen sats, developmental milestones and place in line for surgery. We got a brief update saying he was one of three being considered for surgery- they take 1 child for surgery at a time, we don't know how often they take more children, and its totally up to the doctor to pick which of the 3 goes.... so this news didn't mean a ton. We were told his o2 levels were low 70's... which is bad, but not significantly worse then his trend. With the low o2 sats we are very concerned about brain development, thus why we were concerned about developmental milestones. All they said about his development was he is doing "well." Dan and I talked about it a lot, and prayed a ton, and just didn't feel super comfortable with the update. We live a busy life with 3 (4) active kids. We talked with the agency about options, could we change our minds now?, what did that mean for our status if we did?, could we get matched again?, what about his needs?, etc. The agency assured us that if we didn't feel that we were the perfect family for him any more, we could change our minds. They told us that they would find a family for him, and that we would not be "black listed" by them or China, and we could continue to wait for another match. So towards the end of July we did decide that we were not perfect for him. Its been extremely hard to tell our closest friends, and write on this blog. I am part of a FB China adoption group, I shared with them our situation, and they offered a ton of support. We still very much want to adopt from China, in fact, our paperwork was sent to China August 1, 2013, and Logged into their system August 8, 2013. Which means we are LID have a (log in date). Because we are to this point in our adoption process, we will be able to be matched with a child with much less significant needs. I have asked the agency about wait times, and they vary from 2 months to 1 year or more. I know it will happen in Gods timing, and really, honestly, I feel more content then I ever had about the wait....
Here is a little video of Addy celebrating the huge LID milestone in the adoption process!! :)
